Nicholas Trant
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Trant a British officer, led Portuguese irregular troops in several actions during the Peninsular War
. His most famous exploits were the recapture of Coimbra
from the French in October 1810 and the successful defense of the line of the Mondego River in March 1811.
, Trant was assigned to the army of the Kingdom of Portugal
where he became a brigadier general. While in the Portuguese service, he commanded a 2,000-man contingent at the Battle of Vimeiro
.
Shortly before the Battle of Bussaco on 27 September 1810, Trant's Portuguese militia ambushed the French
Army's baggage train and it barely escaped capture. Soon, Marshal
André Masséna
's army captured Coimbra and established a base there. On 6 October Trant and 4,000 Portuguese militia recaptured the city. French losses were 8 killed and 400 able-bodied soldiers captured. About 3,500 sick and wounded, plus several hundred medical and service personnel also surrendered. Trant lost only 3 killed and 26 wounded. As governor, he remained in possession of the place all winter while the French carried out their futile blockade of the Lines of Torres Vedras
.
Trant's finest achievement occurred after Masséna ordered a retreat. The French marshal intended to retreat north across the Mondego River into an area of Portugal where his troops could forage for food and supplies. Defending the line of the Mondego with only 5,000 militia and no regular troops, Trant carried out a brilliant bluff starting on 10 March 1811. On 13 March, Masséna, pressed from behind by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
's Anglo-Portuguese army, reluctantly directed his retreating columns toward the east and the Spanish frontier.
On 14 April 1812, in the Battle of Guarda, Trant with 2,000 militia and a handful of cavalry unwisely tried to stop three of Marshal Auguste Marmont
's divisions from raiding into Portugal. The 13th Horse Chasseurs Regiment charged and rode down his force, capturing 1,500 men. Most of the prisoners were later released.
Wellington wrote critically of Trant, "a very good officer, but a drunken dog as ever lived."
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
. His most famous exploits were the recapture of Coimbra
Coimbra
Coimbra is a city in the municipality of Coimbra in Portugal. Although it served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages, it is better-known for its university, the University of Coimbra, which is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the...
from the French in October 1810 and the successful defense of the line of the Mondego River in March 1811.
Peninsular War
While a captain in the Royal Staff CorpsRoyal Staff Corps
The Royal Staff Corps was a corps of the British Army which was founded in c.1800 and disbanded in c.1837. It was generally responsible for short-term military engineering works, with the Royal Engineers and Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners remaining responsible for permanent works, but the...
, Trant was assigned to the army of the Kingdom of Portugal
Kingdom of Portugal
The Kingdom of Portugal was Portugal's general designation under the monarchy. The kingdom was located in the west of the Iberian Peninsula, Europe and existed from 1139 to 1910...
where he became a brigadier general. While in the Portuguese service, he commanded a 2,000-man contingent at the Battle of Vimeiro
Battle of Vimeiro
In the Battle of Vimeiro the British under General Arthur Wellesley defeated the French under Major-General Jean-Andoche Junot near the village of Vimeiro , near Lisbon, Portugal during the Peninsular War...
.
Shortly before the Battle of Bussaco on 27 September 1810, Trant's Portuguese militia ambushed the French
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
Army's baggage train and it barely escaped capture. Soon, Marshal
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
André Masséna
André Masséna
André Masséna 1st Duc de Rivoli, 1st Prince d'Essling was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
's army captured Coimbra and established a base there. On 6 October Trant and 4,000 Portuguese militia recaptured the city. French losses were 8 killed and 400 able-bodied soldiers captured. About 3,500 sick and wounded, plus several hundred medical and service personnel also surrendered. Trant lost only 3 killed and 26 wounded. As governor, he remained in possession of the place all winter while the French carried out their futile blockade of the Lines of Torres Vedras
Lines of Torres Vedras
The Lines of Torres Vedras were lines of forts built in secrecy to defend Lisbon during the Peninsular War. Named after the nearby town of Torres Vedras, they were ordered by Arthur Wellesley, Viscount Wellington, constructed by Sir Richard Fletcher, 1st Baronet and his Portuguese workers between...
.
Trant's finest achievement occurred after Masséna ordered a retreat. The French marshal intended to retreat north across the Mondego River into an area of Portugal where his troops could forage for food and supplies. Defending the line of the Mondego with only 5,000 militia and no regular troops, Trant carried out a brilliant bluff starting on 10 March 1811. On 13 March, Masséna, pressed from behind by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
's Anglo-Portuguese army, reluctantly directed his retreating columns toward the east and the Spanish frontier.
On 14 April 1812, in the Battle of Guarda, Trant with 2,000 militia and a handful of cavalry unwisely tried to stop three of Marshal Auguste Marmont
Auguste Marmont
Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont, 1st Duke of Ragusa was a French General, nobleman and Marshal of France.-Biography:...
's divisions from raiding into Portugal. The 13th Horse Chasseurs Regiment charged and rode down his force, capturing 1,500 men. Most of the prisoners were later released.
Wellington wrote critically of Trant, "a very good officer, but a drunken dog as ever lived."
Books
- Glover, Michael. The Peninsular War 1807-1814. London: Penguin, 2001. ISBN 0-141-39041-7
- Oman, Charles. Wellington's Army, 1809-1814. London: Greenhill, (1913) 1993. ISBN 0-947898-41-7
- Smith, Digby. The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill, 1993. ISBN 1-85367-276-9